This invention relates generally to the art of packaging and more particularly to an apparatus and process of attaching an elongated bayonet handle to a carton blank.
The bayonet handle package, first seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,986,420, issued to Gunn et al. on Jan. 21, 1991, is a significant development in the packaging and marketing of detergent powder and other particulate commodities. The package developed as a response to difficulties in the marketing of the new high density laundry detergents. Such detergents require a package with a hinged top so that the consumer can scoop relatively precise amounts of detergent each time. Since the top is hinged, it is preferable that a handle for the package be attached to the sides and not to the top. The bayonet handle package provides such a container.
While some prior art handles are also attached to the sides of the package, the attachment is generally accomplished by riveting. The riveting process, however, is slow and prone to frequent failure. This greatly increases the cost of the package to the eventual consumer.
The bayonet handle, on the other hand, is folded and inserted into apertures in the carton blank such that barbs on the ends of the handle are ensnared on the aperture lip. Attachment is therefore completely accomplished by the combination of the aperture and the shape of the handle. Since the need for a rivet or like attachment means is eliminated, the bayonet handle inherently lends itself to more efficient manufacture. The machinery, however, necessary to fully exploit the advantages of the bayonet handle design has not appeared in the prior art.